by Joshua Thomas
Unless you can lift your trailer by hand when hitching and unhitching it, or you are strong enough to use manual trailer jacks, the odds are that you need an electric trailer jack.
With an electric trailer jack, raising and lowering your trailer tongue becomes as easy as ABC. It's faster, it can lift the trailer higher than most manual jacks, and it's safer for your back than manual trailer jacks.
Given their popularity, there are so many of these electric jacks in the market, so you'll need an electric trailer jack review like this one to give you a buying guide and a list of the top jacks in the market, to make your choice easier.
Contents
IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES |
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1. Bulldog 500187 (Best Overall) |
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2. Husky HB4500 |
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3. Quick Products JQ-3500B |
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4. RAM Trailer EJ-3520-BBX |
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5. Lippert 285318 |
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6. Quick Products JQ-3000 |
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7. Husky 82022 |
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For a top-rated electric trailer jack that comes with all the right features, this offer from Bulldog fits the bill. It's a well-made jack that's designed for A-frame tongues and offers a 3,500-pound lift capacity.
Retracted, the jack is 9.7 inches long, but it can extend up to 31.5 inches by traveling a total of 22 inches, of which there are 14 inches of screw travel and an 8-inch drop leg travel.
It features a corrosion-resistant coating to make it very durable and the package includes a crank for manual override in case of power loss.
Since it has exposed buttons, a housing cover would have been good, and there are also cheaper trailer jack offers. Bulldog, however, backs this offer with a 5-year warranty.
Pros
Cons
For a more powerful electric trailer jack, this Husky HB4500 comes with a 4,500-lb lift capacity, a water-resistant enclosure, weather-protected switches, and it also includes an impressive anti-friction system.
This Brute Power jack includes ball screws, which help reduce overall friction and are usually found in more expensive jacks.
You get a total of 22 inches in vertical travel and this includes 18 inches of full stroke and 6 inches of a drop-down leg adjustment.
One con of this offer is that the warranty is only a year-long and that you can get cheaper offers. It comes with a 3-sided LED lighting system for full illumination anyway and it features hardened steel gears and a lift of 10 inches in just 38 seconds.
Pros
Cons
If you're considering budget electric trailers, then here's one offer that you may want to check out. It offers a 3.650-pound lift capacity and comes offered at a low and attractive price.
It also has other features like a leveling cap, a manual override crank, weatherproof vinyl cover, and LED working light for nighttime hookups.
For issues, it has a relatively slow travel speed. So, the other Brute Power offer might suit you better if you prefer things at a faster pace.
If the slow speed is okay however, then it can turn out as one of the best electric trailer jacks to meet your needs because of its low price and reliability.
Pros
Cons
This RAM EJ-3520-BBX is one of the best electric tongue jacks in the market because of its quality design and construction, as well as a fair price.
Its outer tube is black-powder coated against corrosion, while the inner tube is zinc finished. It also includes a LED light nighttime hookups and an emergency manual crank for periods of power failure.
This jack travels a 9-inch retracted height up to 28.5 inches and it will comfortably handle weights up to 3,500 pounds. It's also water-resistant, although it's not waterproof, so a little care is always needed.
Although you could get more powerful jacks than this, as well as jacks with longer warranties, its low price is what makes it popular and an overall impressive electric trailer jack.
Pros
Cons
Here's another nice and well-made electric trailer jack. It comes from Lippert and has a 3,500-pound rating, with an 18-inch stroke and a top height of 28.5 inches.
What makes it one of the best electric trailer jacks is that it comes with four LED lights, which set it apart and provide the most illumination for night hookups.
One issue with this jack is that it doesn't come with a cover for its switches which are partially exposed and might pose a waterproofing problem in the future.
On the brighter side, its casing has texturing and is strong enough to prevent physical damage that might chip or crack the casing. The package also includes a manual crank for emergencies, when there's no electricity.
Pros
Cons
Made using hardened steel gears and water-resistant components, this Quick Products trailer jack is a slightly smaller and more compact version of the Quick JQ-3500B.
Its rated weight capacity is slightly lower at 3,250 pounds, but it offers the same 18 inches of vertical travel, making it nearly as good. The post also features the standard 2.25-inch diameter for trailer jacks, so it's sturdy enough.
Quick Products also adds dual LED lights to make it easy to use at night, plus the package includes a manual override crank for emergencies and a weatherproof cover and fuse holder.
For its downsides, this is the least stylish jack in this review and although it's made using durable components, it would have been nice if the warranty is longer than 1 year.
Pros
Cons
Husky offers the 82022 for the ultimate electric trailer jack performance with its 5,000-lb weight capacity and advanced anti-friction design featuring 20-mm ball screws.
One nice feature that it has that other trailer jacks lack is a remote control. You can use it to control the jack to go up or down, as well as On and Off, from up to 40 feet away.
The switches are weather-protected and the panel includes a back-light for convenience. This also offers a 6-inch drop-down leg and 18 inches of vertical travel, bringing its top height to 30 inches.
You might find it difficult here is the high price of this jack, which is relatively costlier than others in this review. Its 5,000-pound capacity is also overkill for smaller trailers.
Pros
Cons
Electric trailer jacks come in different sizes, capacities, and working mechanisms, so you need to get a basic understanding of them, so you can make the right choice.
Following are the most important aspects and features that you need to understand and look out for when choosing an electric trailer jack.
The first thing that you need to understand about electric trailer jacks is their type. There are different types of trailer jacks based on their construction and functional mechanism.
There's the A-frame, the Heavy-duty, and the side mount types of jacks and following is a closer look at each type.
A-frame. This is the type of jack that's commonly used for A-frame trailers and campers. They have the lowest lift capacities among the three types of jacks, usually ranging between 2,000 and 5,000 pounds.
If you've got a rather small trailer and don't expect it to carry much weight, then an A-frame trailer jack might be just what you need. They can get welded or bolted on the trailer behind the coupler.
Heavy Duty. A heavy-duty jack might be the solution for those with larger or heavier trailers because it offers higher lift capacities ranging anywhere from 6,000 to 12,000 pounds and beyond.
Most heavy-duty electric trailer jacks come with mounting brackets, which often makes for more solid installation and support for the trailer.
Side Mounts. The third type of trailer jacks is the side mount type. This type offers a wider range of lift capacities from 800 up to 12,000 pounds and over in three groups.
The first group is the pull-pin swivel jacks which range from 800 to about 1,200 pounds in lift capacity, while the second group offers a capacity between 2,000 and 7,000 pounds.
If you still need a side mount with more lift capacity, then a drop-leg model could do the job. They offer lift capacities from 8,000 to 12,000 pounds.
A trailer jack's lift capacity refers to how much weight it can lift and this refers specifically to the trailer's tongue weight. You'll need to know your trailer's gross weight to get the tongue weight.
This gross weight includes the weight of everything inside the trailer plus the trailer's weight as well. Tongue weight, however, is usually 10 to 15% of the gross trailer weight, so just take 15% to stay in the safe zone.
Also, heavier-duty jacks cost more, but if you don't mind the extra cost, then getting a jack with a heavier-duty rating will save you from all these calculations.
If you're still wondering if there's much to gain from an electric trailer jack, as opposed to manual ones, here is a short comparison of the two types of jacks.
Electric jacks are easier to use than manual jacks that depend on hand cranking. On the other hand, manual jacks are cheaper and more reliable than electric ones because they are less complicated.
If you're middle-aged or older, then an electric jack might save you from lots of back pain and they are easy to install as well. So, unless you love the physical toll, electric trailer jacks are the way to go.
You'll surely be more satisfied with a jack that lasts longer than with one that doesn't, so you need to pay attention to construction material when making your choice.
Avoid plastic parts as much as possible and choose products made from corrosion-resistant materials. Also consider the jack's warranty, as a good warranty is often indicative of good quality.
Most electric trailers will either come with an installation bracket or come designed to weld on to the trailer's frame.The choice here is yours to make between a permanently welded jack and a temporary one that's only bolted on.
Husky 87248 Brute 2.25" Outer Tube Diameter Power Jack - 3000 lbs. Capacity - Walmart Link
Husky 82022 Super Brute Electric Jack with Remote Control - 5000 lb. Capacity - Walmart Link
Bulldog 500200 Powered Drive A-Frame Tongue Jack with Spring Loaded Pull Pin - 4000 lb. - Walmart Link
Bulldog 500199 Powered Drive A-Frame Tongue Jack with Spring Loaded Pull Pin - 4000 lb. - Walmart Link
Quick Products JQ-3500W Power A-Frame Electric Tongue Jack - 3,650 lbs. Lift Capacity, - Walmart Link
CURT 28204 A-Frame Trailer Jack, 2,000 lbs, 15 Inches Vertical Travel , Black - Walmart Link
Bulldog Fulton Sidewind 14 Travel A-Frame Jack 5000-Pound Gray, 24 x 7.5 x 4.5" - Walmart Link
CURT 28272 Trailer Jack Foot, Fits 2-Inch Diameter Tube, Supports 2,000 lbs - Walmart Link
Fastway FLIP 88-00-4500 Trailer Tongue Automatic Fold-Up Jack Foot Plate for 2 1/4" - Walmart Link
Fastway Flip 88-00-6500 Trailer Tongue Automatic Fold-Up Jack Foot Plate--6 Inch - Walmart Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Plastic Chain Saver Kit - Walmart Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Plastic Chain Saver - Walmart Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Silver Aluminum Chain Saver - Walmart Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Black Aluminum Chain Saver - Walmart Link
Husky 87248 Brute 2.25" Outer Tube Diameter Power Jack - 3000 lbs. Capacity - eBay Link
Husky 82022 Super Brute Electric Jack with Remote Control - 5000 lb. Capacity - eBay Link
Bulldog 500200 Powered Drive A-Frame Tongue Jack with Spring Loaded Pull Pin - 4000 lb. - eBay Link
Bulldog 500199 Powered Drive A-Frame Tongue Jack with Spring Loaded Pull Pin - 4000 lb. - eBay Link
Quick Products JQ-3500W Power A-Frame Electric Tongue Jack - 3,650 lbs. Lift Capacity, - eBay Link
CURT 28204 A-Frame Trailer Jack, 2,000 lbs, 15 Inches Vertical Travel , Black - eBay Link
Bulldog Fulton Sidewind 14 Travel A-Frame Jack 5000-Pound Gray, 24 x 7.5 x 4.5" - eBay Link
CURT 28272 Trailer Jack Foot, Fits 2-Inch Diameter Tube, Supports 2,000 lbs - eBay Link
Fastway FLIP 88-00-4500 Trailer Tongue Automatic Fold-Up Jack Foot Plate for 2 1/4" - eBay Link
Fastway Flip 88-00-6500 Trailer Tongue Automatic Fold-Up Jack Foot Plate--6 Inch - eBay Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Plastic Chain Saver Kit - eBay Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Plastic Chain Saver - eBay Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Silver Aluminum Chain Saver - eBay Link
GR innovations llc Tongue Jack Trailer Towing Organizer | Black Aluminum Chain Saver - eBay Link
We've come to the end of this electric trailer jacks review and you've seen all the top offers out there, from the simple and reliable ones to the more premium jacks with remote controls and other bells and whistles.
In making your choice, remember that no jack is completely better than the other, so choose according to what best fits your rig and lifestyle.
About Joshua Thomas
Joshua Thomas just simply loves cars and willing to work on them whenever there's chance... sometimes for free.
He started CarCareTotal back in 2017 from the advices of total strangers who witnessed his amazing skills in car repairs here and there.
His goal with this creation is to help car owners better learn how to maintain and repair their cars; as such, the site would cover alot of areas: troubleshooting, product recommendations, tips & tricks.
Joshua received Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University.
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